Shells_Almost_There

This is one of those major decisions that we each make in our own way - whichever way you go, own that decision! It's yours. You are doing something very personal for you - not for your friends, overweight or not. Friends come and go - we only have one life. The surgery will change that life, but it isn't an easy way out or magical - it's a lot work. (I personally didn't want to share with my gossipy co-workers or with my family who would lecture or worry, so I took a well-deserved vacation. I came back to work rested and healthier and no one knows the difference! People are starting to notice my weight loss, but they are aware I've been on a high-protein diet and have not given it a 2nd thought. That was my choice and I'm happy I went that route). Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

I also had calf muscle issues and I believe it was from the compression thingies they put on my legs before/during/after surgery - they irritated the heck out of my calves. It hurt for about a week.

Hmm, definitely take both options just in case tampons aren't allowed. I've never been allowed to have underwear during surgery, so pads would not have worked for me.

At first, it's just about getting in fluids. I did broth and protein drinks only - trying for 90 grams of protein a day early on was a pipe dream for me, but then things got better as each day passed. Just try to stay hydrated at this point! No kidding, I started with shot glasses of liquids and would keep track that way at first, things went down so slowly.

When you are being prepped, let the doc and nurses know, as a warning. Also, be sure to change the tampon as close to surgery as possible. Luckily, seasoned surgical staff have seen it all and always have a plan to help the patients with these annoying things that seem to come at the worst time possible. This happened to me when I had one of my knee surgeries, so I feel your pain. Good luck for tomorrow - it will be great!

I had some strange right shoulder pain that started about 2 weeks post op. To resolve it, I had someone help stretch my arms and massage that shoulder a couple of times. It seemed to be just enough to work out the issue. I was going to go get a professional massage if it hadn't cleared up!

This procedure will probably vary by hospital. At mine (It was a Legacy/Good Samaritan Hospital), they advise to bring as little as possible, especially valuables. Upon check in, they take any wallets and cash and put it in a lockbox. My clothes, phone, charger, etc, were in a little backpack and were bagged and tagged. They hung the backpack and my CPAP machine carrier onto my gurney so that it made the journey to the recovery room and post-op with me. It was all very easy. If you have a friend/spouse with you, they can take your bag and valuables, by the way. In my case I was alone so I used the hospital procedure. One of your pre-op phone calls will be from a nurse in your hospital, so check in on this procedure with the nurse. Hospitals might run this type of thing differently. Upon check out, you get wheeled back to the front desk and sign for your wallet/cash etc. and then you are sprung from the hospital. While surgery is generally a rare occurrence for the general population, surgery and dealing with valuables, etc is a daily occurrence for them, so they have procedures to make everything go well. It went super smoothly for me! I hope it does for you as well.

I haven't taken the Chromium but I was on Metformin for the past 3 years to help me lose weight - I am not a diabetic either, but weight loss effects are an off-label usage for that drug. It worked for the first 2 years, then seemed to stop working for me, which was fine since I planned surgery anyway.

I was forced to take Milk of Magnesia when I went 8 days post-op with no BM. For 3 weeks, I kept having to use it off and on, but only if I went into a 3rd day with no BM. So gross. When I got to mushie foods then more solid foods, I was able to add a little fiber and my PA recommended the fiber gummy bears. I haven't had to use the Milk of Magnesia since then. The PA also had me buy some colace (which i think is the same as Miralax that Laura-Ven mentions above), which I actually haven't taken yet since the gummies and the food seems to be working (and by working I mean a BM every 2 to 3 days). I also saw a recommendation to eat a little box of raisins per day to stay regular, but I haven't tried that quite yet. Good luck to you - this part of the surgery after effects is no fun at all.

My surgeon's plan was 6 weeks before any working out beside walking, although when I met with her during my 4th week, she released me because I wasn't having issues like pain, etc. I'm still too chicken to get on my treadmill because I'm a clutz and will be the one who crashes to the ground and messes things up internally! So I'm doing Wii Fit, and staying (relatively) safe on my own two feet.

Yes, and remember to take a charger with a really long cord. I suggest wearing the same clothes to and from the hospital -- loose things like sweat pants and a large T-shirt, Oh and remember to bring a small pillow to hold against your stomach when getting up and down, and then to place between your tummy and the seat belt on the way home. You'll be in your hospital gown the entire time, but postop, once I was up and walking, I was allowed to put on my underwear and tank top under my gown. It made me feel much less "exposed." Good luck!

It is natural to have doubts leading up to a major surgery, but if you are doubting the necessity of the sleeve (or any of these types of surgeries) for you, then it might not be time for you to take this step. I waited an entire year based on my doubt that RnY was right for me, so I said I would do it on my own. A year later I weighed more than I'd started at, which was a bummer, but I also learned for the first time in February 2013 about this thing called the "sleeve." That's when it all came together for me and I knew the time and procedure was exactly right for me. As for the surgery, the sleeve removes the ability to eat massive quantities of food, and many people experience much less hunger. I am losing weight slowly since being sleeved and it is the best thing I've done for myself since becoming obese. I wish this opportunity had been around 10 years ago! My personal experience so far has been that I can have a little of something and be satisfied, rather than 2 or 3 helpings of something. I eat in tiny quantities and I'm not hungry. White carbs like bread make me super sick to my stomach. I can have my favorite foods but in moderation (except for maybe certain bread products. I've only tried 2 types since surgery and it didn't go well). After about week 4, I had learned my measuring as compared to my sleeve's capacity, so I don't measure now unless it's a new food I haven't tried since surgery, or something I think might bug my stomach, and then I try a tiny bit first to see if the sleeve appreciates the food (example: spicy food). Other people might obsessively measure everything that goes in their mouths. That's ok too. Your experience, if you end up getting surgery, will be your own. I should also mention that since surgery and my post op weight loss so far, my BP is way down, and my sleep apnea seems to have disappeared. I need surgery on my left knee, but the pain has really subsided since losing weight after surgery. I will still have knee surgery eventually but at least the 2 years of chronic daily pain is gone. That's worth it right there for me. I don't know if any of this is helpful - your decision about surgery and the eventual worthiness of getting the sleeve procedure can only come from you. Good luck.

I might have LOL'd just a bit as well -- it's a whole new world out there! No but truly, if you've never been much of drinker, starting with 3 drinks in your tiny sleeve might have been too fast a start! Also, drinks have different alcohol content, so that could have been a factor. I love the fact that you were out and having a great time though, and have awesome friends to watch out for you. Bummer about the hangover - that's never a good feeling. I have been a social drinker for years, and I've done 2 wine tastings since surgery. The first time I was very cautious and had exactly 3 sips. I was with friends (but my surgery was a secret so they don't know), so it was my test run to see if I'd feel it. I didn't (I'll admit I was a bit disappointed after all the hype about drinking after surgery). This week was my birthday and I did a flight of 4 wines, but I asked for half pours. It turns out half pours are still too much! At glass 3 I could definitely feel that I'd had alcohol, I was only sipping small amounts and I didn't finish any of the half pours. I probably had 2 sips per glass, but where before my surgery that would have been nothing, this time I could tell it was affecting me by the 3rd wine. So, I feel like my safety must be around 5 or 6 sips total. I like to drink socially, and I try to never get very impaired, so whenever my next social drinking occasion is, I'm going to try for 5 sips and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing your story!

LOL - I highly recommend the "burpless" variety! And Endless80 is so right - those burps will let you know! As far as soft gels for sleeved patients, I just had my post-op appointment with my surgeon and was put on a high dose of Vitamin D (prescription strength) and it's a soft gel. I'm thinking if soft gels were a problem, it would be in my paperwork, etc. Good luck!

I stalled out at week 3 as well. After days (and days and days) of no movement on the scale, I added 100-200 calories per day of good fats and a few additional carbs - my body apparently thought I was starving it, so adding calories broke my stall and all is well now. I am a slow loser, but I'm losing... it can be very frustrating to wait for that darn scale to move! Hang in there!

About a week after surgery I noticed my double chin and shoulders/big arms looked a bit different, but that's about it. I lost a nice amount of weight during the 2-week liquids, then things really slowed down week 3. Even now (I'm almost to Week 7 post op) I don't "see" my weight loss, but I can sure feel it! My clothes are much looser (except in my large belly, which apparently I'm going to lose last.) No one has really noticed my weight loss - I think because it's coming off very slowly. I really don't see it, but I'm happy I can feel it!

I am having the same issue--stalling for the 2nd time -- and it is frustrating. The thing is, although the scale is stubbornly not moving, all my work pants feel gigantic on me, so I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm losing inches even if the darn scale won't cooperate! hang in there!

During my psych evaluation, the doc recommended not to tell anyone. He had also had WLS, so I found it interesting to hear his perspective. In the end, I agreed with him and decided it wasn't anyone's business to hear the details of my surgery unless I wanted to share for my own reasons. So for anyone who asks about my weight loss (as it is becoming more obvious), I say I've been on a strict high-protein diet since June and it's finally paying off (completely true), and if anyone wonders if I had surgery (I anticipate someone will ask at some point), I will say I was solving some "female issues" (technically true! LOL). It's up to you how much you tell, but for me I didn't want to feel under the microscope with how/what I was eating or how fast I losing weight. Good luck to you, this is a delicate topic and people can be amazingly rude!

"Better than Bouillon" chicken and beef flavors got me through this stage, along with the Premier Protein shakes from Costco/Sam's Club. I can taste whey protein in everything and I hated all protein powders because of it. When I was allowed mushies, cottage cheese tasted terrible (I can eat it now, finally). The chocolate Premier shake has 30 grams and doesn't have the disgusting taste - those shakes saved my life for the first weeks, as I needed 90 grams per day. I wouldn't have made my goal without them. (I hear there's vanilla and maybe strawberry flavors as well, but I stayed with the chocolate. Still have at least 1 per day now to get myself going every morning). Good luck!

I bought a Magic Bullet and an immersion blender and didn't need either of them.

I feel your pain. Every year my friends put on a big costume party and I hate it. As I tried on my costume (that I also hate) for this year, I made a little vow that this year would be the last in which I have to shop at specialty online shops to find a costume that will actually fit me. Next year, I will fit into the more mainstream costumes! Now if it was just 365 days from now...

Amen!

I had this issue at first - was counseled to take even smaller bites and chew even more. I still have a hard time remembering - I want to gulp down my food.

I usually wake up easily from anesthesia but after the sleeve I apparently needed a nap. Pre-op I was on the operating table, the guy said they were going to give me the good drugs (and they were awesome!) and what felt like minutes later I wake up to a very annoying nurse asking me over and over how I felt and if I was in pain. I kept shushing her (sorry, lady!) because my stomach was cramping and it hurt. All her talking was making it hurt more Anyway, within 30 minutes I finally came fully awake and realized that I'd been asleep for 5 hours. I was shocked - surgery had taken 45 minutes, then I had slept with help from the anesthesia for many hours. As a result I was awake all night, completely rested, and totally ready to check out the next morning. I still feel guilty for being rude to the nurse by shushing her!

I think it is completely natural to question yourself and even to have last minute 2nd (3rd 4th) thoughts about such a big decision. Just over a year ago I was at an info session for RnY, thinking "do I really want to do something so drastic?" Yes, it had come to that. At that time, I was unable to commit to such a drastic procedure, so I decided to wait a year and try to lose weight myself. Instead, I gained. I felt like a complete failure...again. So on New Year's Eve, I weighed myself, decided to start fresh for 2013 and investigate surgery once more - and that's when I heard about the sleeve for the first time. It was like a lightning bolt hit me - I'd found the surgery and the surgeon for me. That's when I knew it was time. I started the process in March and had surgery in September. Yesterday I had my first post-op with my surgeon. No joke, I literally cheered her when she came through the door. When she asked how it was going, I told her "best decision of my life and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner!" You know what her response was? "That's what everyone tells me!" It is so true. Sure, I waited a year but it all worked out how it was supposed to for me. It's such a personal and life-changing decision that I highly recommend doing what's best for you. Good luck!